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Saturday, November 25, 2006

By the way, Abbas Javadi has introduced a new transcription in the RFE/RL Tajik Service borrowed from Turkish alphabet. I wonder how Tajiks accept it within the section. Anyway, you can see further signs of destruction in the service by the Turk:

The atmosphere around me has changed entirely and I like all personages of my new chapter. Of course, I can see an utmost confusion on their questioning faces: Is he really from Tajikistan? Is he trying to hijack this purely Iranian cause and turn in into something Tajik? Is he going to weaken our positions? Is he… Even I am puzzled with the puzzle I have become.

But there is a huge difference between my last two chapters. In RFE/RL some of them were ready to strangle me if they could, take my heart out of my chest savagely and cook a shish-kebab to celebrate the victory of stupidity. But now I am facing pretty beings with a little dose of suspicion and a huge question mark on their faces: is he going to make our lives easier or is he trying to push us down to hell? I’m trying to assure them that the latter is nonsensical; that we are going to have a lovely peaceful life and I’m not willing to challenge our co-existence. Why? Just because I like all of them with no exception, since I can see humanity in their eyes. Maybe I am exhausted for the time being after my long trip to hell or perhaps just because I like them indeed: an extraordinary hybrid mass of human characters ranging from Hassan Shakiba to Hossein Derakhshan. Actually the latter amazed me the other day with his tolerance: two of my colleagues were grilling him at the pub down-stairs, but he managed to keep a broad smile on his happy face with thrilled wild eyes. Kamelia said she could see number 666 on his forehead; his reaction was just a broad smile again before turning to me to say: “Oh, I wish to visit Tajikistan, just because I like Tajiks & Tajiks who I know like me in return.” I encouraged the "Father of the Persian Weblog" to keep his pledge to visit my homeland to discover something fresh deep inside himself. He remembered my dearest friend Salim as “a really good person” (Hossein’s words) & had nothing more to add to his Tajikistani sayings. But that was enough to generate a true respect to him within me. A friend who likes my friend is more than a simple friend to me.

Derakhshan added one more thing: “Your today’s presentation was absolutely different from what we used to hear from Zamaneh before. It was really cool.” Kamelia said: “You gotta believe him. Because it’s Hossein Derakhshan saying that, a person who’s keen to criticize only; the one who’s really stingy in praising.”

Monday, November 20, 2006

Oh yeah, the city! Amsterdam is a comparatively small city with approximately 750000 people (Mehdi’s figure). I have not seen much of it yet. From where I am standing now (The Royal Institute of Tropical Studies!) I can see an astonishing huge Dutch windmill transformed into a factory (Mehdi’s information), a couple of sporadically erected skyscrapers and rows of small tin-roofed houses separated by wide and narrow roads and streets… The widest road is just underneath us; the one that crosses our street. Now it’s wet with the rain and shiny with the lights of rare cars cautiously moving in different directions.

…Mum was shocked that I had changed my job again. She sounded really worried, but I did my best to convince her that everything was going to be OK. That’s what we all hope, anyway.

That’s it! I am in Amsterdam now with a heavy burden of thoughts in my mind and two physical bags on my shoulders. Zamaneh seems to embrace a dozen of very friendly smiling faces in a very amicable atmosphere. Perhaps after what I witnessed and endured at RFE/RL my perception of the Third Reich’s radio station would have been something similar too. But, no. Actually, my first impression from RFE/RL was something similar to my last impression and this fact gives me a greater hope that the black line of my destiny has been cut off by my departure from Prague.

Mehdi chaired a long meeting to introduce me to my new colleagues and to talk about his latest adventures in Tehran. My introduction embarrassed me a bit or perhaps I just did not know what to do while Mehdi was generously lavishing me with praises and giving some details of my journalistic past. It was really very kind of him and made me fonder to start working as soon as possible. My only job today was filling the chair of today’s “Guest of the Day” in the program and revealing some facts of my life that somehow happened to sound to me like I was bragging about myself, and I felt embarrassed again.

But today’s meeting demonstrated Mehdi as the real head of the station with an ample amount of self-confidence and authority who cares about each member of the team while anticipating a proper job from each of them. The team was listening to his words carefully, analyzing his statements, asking questions, reacting to his answers and listening to him again. All is done in a mutually amicable style.

As you can see, the start is ostensibly optimistic. Let me unfold the future or rather let the future unfold the events further on.

Monday, November 13, 2006

If anybody had a doubt in the truth of my words about the Tajik RFE/RL happenings, must be having a clear image in front of his/her eyes by now. Abbas Javadi, the new acting head of the Tajik section (with very strong Turkic affiliations who had written books to praise Pan-Turkism) has sent his first message to the section where he appoints his aids (Mirzo and Nurmuhammad) as "the editors of everything". The letter is in "Tajik" and it shows the depth of Javadi's hatred to Tajiks, if you take a deeper look:

Monday, November 06, 2006

In few minutes Said Qasem will arrive to take us to the airport and that will be the real end of my Praha Saga. I will take with me some images: Taher - my dearest friend in Prague is still in front of my eyes. He flied away today as well, but to a different direction. He flied to Geneva and I'm really happy for him, since he really deserves it. The other day Massi called him "the sweetest member of the team" and everybody knew who she was talking about. So, that sweetest image is my dearest friend in Prague and he will remain among my dearest amigos for good. And of course, Said Qasem, who has been earmarked as "the most Tajik guy of the team" by Massi. Perfectly said. His kindness is enormous. OK, gotta go now, Said Qasem must be downstairs by now. Talk to you soon amigas e amigos. Bedrud for now.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

It was on January 13, when I forsaw my future adventures in the Liberty, but still my heart was filled with warming hope and a ton of confidence. I was almost certain about developing similar qualities with them and said:

“And I believe that we can extend those ties even up to the new world of mine and we’ll finally find a common language and will develop the same sort of nasal and pharyngeal textures to comprehend and love each other. Only if Ahura will remain just beside me. Eydun bad (Amen).”

Today I was reading my pre-Liberty blogs and laughing as a madman; I could not believe how similar feelings could be at different times and different places. I remember meu amiga warning me about possible bitter consequences of my crucial decision to leave the BBC. And now here in Prague my new amigos e amigas are trying to re-convince me to stay a bit longer: “perhaps the future is bright.” Actually I feel it too; I feel the brightness of the future too, since there’s no other option rather than remaining hopeful. But lack of patience and the feeling of beeing extremely odd among this lot are probably my biggest motivations that are forcing me out of Prague again in the search of new adventures in a new place. It’s good that I had no enough time to fall in love with Prague yet and it would not bee too painful to leave this small and quiet town. I will just miss my really good friends in here and will cherish the memories of our shared time together.

This is the last time I am sitting behind my brand new wide olive desk in this old building that used to belong to the Czechoslovakian parliament in Soviet times. My PC was emptied yesterday, my ID will be handed in the reception for good today, my papers are in pieces in a trash bin, my rota still hanging on the edge of a blue board beside a paper that contains “15 Things You Probably Never Knew Or Thought About”. One of its points say: “The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.” But the first point of it is much more beautiful: “At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.” That makes you feel someone, even if it’s not true at all.

A beautiful green flower in a pot on the right corner of the desk has spread its two branches so wide as if trying to give me a good-bye hug. And just above it Ella Wheeler Wilcox’ terrific lines sent by T and printed out by me:

“There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found,While journeying east and west.The only folks we really wound,Are those we love the best…”

Beside it a plain charcoal painting depicting presumably a street of Prague with its crucifixes, churches and domes… and empty alleys deriving from it.

Thus, another city lived by me and lived in me, while I was living in it, must be left behind tomorrow. Nashledanou, Zlata Praha!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

"I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Sojida Djakhfarova as Director of the Uzbek Service. Since July of last year, Sojida has led a very committed team through a dangerous and difficult time. The team has continued to produce excellent and hard-hitting news despite the harassment and intimidation of our correspondents in Uzbekistan and the forced closure of our Tashkent bureau. Sojida joined the Radios in 1996 as a freelancer for the Tajik Service in Moscow. She's been the bureau chief in Dushanbe, the Acting Director of the Tajik Service, and the Coordinator of RFE/RL's Youth Programs. Please join me in congratulating Sojida on her well-deserved appointment.

And congratulations to all the member of the Uzbek Service for their exceptional performance during these past 16 months."

That means their plan has failed. I congratulated Sojida by saying:

"Sojidai giromi,That's terrific news. Before leaving RFE let me congratulate you with your new solid and certain position and wish you all the best. I wish you prosperous and fruitful years in Uzbek Section.With regards,Dariush"

She thanked me afterwards and invited me for a cup of coffee. I kindly declined the invitation, since Tajik samosas had not been mentioned in the message.

I have received latest news from the Tajik service being away from you. Looking from outside I should say that these news are regrettable.

Two members of the team are leaving us in a very climax of our progress and successes.

Massoumeh has changed the Tajik service very much in all dimensions, from the programming to our working space design. Maybe she was wrong giving us to much freedom and democracy in doing our job, speaking openly, stepping out of the «borders». She is a Westener, but we are Easterners with certain oddities. She was the rare type of bosses who clearly separate professional and personal relations. Sometimes I was not behave as a good person to her (Sorry, Massoumeh), but it had never been affected our relations as the team members, the same was with others. She taught us not to gain a credit by playing the role of a close aide-de-camp, giving equal chances to everyone and cementing our team. I will miss her daily post-broadcast notes that were giving me an example of good and energizing judgment. We all see her as a pattern of Friendly Soft Power.

Shafkat is surely a noble representative of the young Tajik generation with his own singularities and a large portion of «fresh blood» poured into the body of our team. However, sometimes the fresh blood causes allergic overreaction. He shocked us by his energy, knowledge, open mind and dress fashion. Unlike me he was not afraid of the microphone flying as a free bird on air. He has attracted many Tajik youth, who are trying to write as he in their e-mail messages as we all witnessed. Tajik papers have been reprinting his stories, causing discussions in Tajikistan. However, he was made us uncomfortable by his independent mind and stubborn resistance not to be like everyone, when he do believe he is right. I have been feeling myself much younger talking to him and I will miss this feeling too.

Let us to wish both of them all the best in their journey, if Shafkat did not changed his mind to stay in the team for sake of his listeners. Sorry.sa